And I am a Redskins fan, of course I am going to take an optimistic view

Truth is, we have no idea how he'll perform or if he will have the explosive ability he showed this year again. I am hopeful he is back to 100 percent sooner then later, but again, I have never had surgery nor performed one

The common treatment for LCL rupture is to suture it back together. Given the description of the ACL by Griffin, Jr., and the reports of using a graft from the left patellar tendon, I think it's very likely that RG3 had Revision ACL Surgery on the ACL, i.e. replacement of a partially torn or ruptured graft with a new graft.

There are a lot of considerations with doing a second ACL replacement. For example, when a graft is done, there are tunnels drilled into the tibia and femur. Hardware (screws) is used to secure the graft. A revision surgery can vary widely depending on whether the original hardware is removed, whether a new tunnel has to be drilled (typically the case, but not always), and whether a bone graft is necessary to attach new hardware. It's pretty clear that Griffin didn't have a bone graft, but it is possible (especially given the increased length of the surgery) that a new tunnel was drilled.

The biggest concern for Griffin isn't whether he is ready for the opener, it's that that the graft is successful. He's got the most skilled doctor, he's young, and he's athletic. All that plays in his favor. However, it's worth noting that, while 90% of ACL grafts are successful, the rate drops to about 75% with revision surgery (This is for the entire population of orthopedists; Andrews' rate is likely to be higher but I don't know either way).

He really doesn't want to injure that ACL again, especially if he had to have a second tunnel drilled. While there are athletes that have returned from 3 tears in the same knee, the rate is low, and eventually you just can't drill tunnels in the bones anymore. It will all depend on the details of the surgery and his healing process, which was very good for the first injury, but I wouldn't be too surprised if they play it safe with him next fall and do everything they can not to rush him back.

Good info, KMD! My questions is, does the bone attach to the graft that is pulled through the hole and if the graft gets torn again can it heal itself?

And I am a Redskins fan, of course I am going to take an optimistic view

Truth is, we have no idea how he'll perform or if he will have the explosive ability he showed this year again. I am hopeful he is back to 100 percent sooner then later, but again, I have never had surgery nor performed one

I was fortunate in a way. I tore the meniscus and the ACL at the same time. I had a scope to clean up the meniscus and clean out the knee. Shortly after that I started rehab/prep for the ACL replacement which took place 8 months later. I used hydraulics and electronic shock treatments to strengthen the knee. Surgery went well and I was back to normal...... until I started playing softball and flag football. Now I have bone to bone and it's not fun. Supartz injections are keeping me from getting total knee replacement.

Is that 2/3 of players all time? At one time an ACL injury meant a player's career was over. I wonder what the number is over the past 10 years. Also, I would think that for some players it wasn't just having ACL surgery that prevented a player from coming back. There are some guys who get hurt who are fringe players anyway.

i agree that i was surprised by what he said, but this is in fact what he said

Good info, KMD! My questions is, does the bone attach to the graft that is pulled through the hole and if the graft gets torn again can it heal itself?

Yes, the graft will eventually attach to the bone and new tissue will grow. My medical experience is as a researcher, I'm not a ortho surgeon or any kind of orthopedic doctor, so I don't know all the details. IIRC that's the reason for the tunnel. The bones will attach to the tendon in a couple of ways (Sharpey's fibers and fibrocartilage formation, I think). In general, the blood flow to ACL's is pretty low, which is why they will often graft even when it's only a partial tear. I don't know how or if the blood flow changes for grafts.